orts Lockout slams door on profits Low sales on jerseys and gear leaving retailers in the penalty box By JANA MINOR lagging Canucks jersey sales are leaving Vancouver retailers out in the cold. As the NHL’s labour dispute stretches on, merchandise sales con- tinue to plummet, said Mike Jackson, manager of Sports Corner on Granville Street. The store has seen a 40 per cent drop in sales since the lockout began. His racks are bursting with Canucks paraphernalia, much of it marked down 35 per cent or more. A sidewalk sign out front advertises unnumbered team jerseys -- usually $135 each -- as just $89 now. “This is desperation, we have to move this stuff,” said Jackson, gazing around at the mountains of blue and green merchandise. While his store sells other sports’ items, hockey is the real bread and butter. “What’s keeping us afloat right now is basketball’s just started their season, and of course the NFL is strong right now,” said Jackson. “But Whitecaps are done, B.C. Lions are done, and we're waiting for hockey. Hockey’s our primary source.” Jackson compared the stark con- trast to last year’s playoff season. “We had line-ups every game,” he said. But despite the hard times, three customers came and left with purchas- es in a 20-minute span. “We're lucky we have such a good team,” he added, pointing out that all of Vancouver’s professional teams are strong. “Cities across the country would just die for our teams.” Jackson is optimistic that hockey could resume in the new year as a re- sult of mediation underway between the league and the player’s association. But after two days of talks in Ottawa this week with only advisory -- not binding -- mediators, it seems the stale- mate continues. Over at the official Canucks store at Rogers Arena, it was a similar story. Three staff stocked shelves with plush toys of the Sedin twins, but there were zero customers. The manager assured it’s business as usual, but declined to comment on the labour dispute’s im- pact on merchandise markdowns while negotiations are underway. => (> 5 aa ae oe A JANA MINOR photo T-Shirts depicting NHL commish Gary Bettman as the Grinch are hot sellers for Mike Jackson, who wishes that his discounted jersey’s for the locked out Canucks were equally popular. Jen Rollins of the Canucks’ media department released the written state- ment: “As a privately owned company, it has long been our club policy to not disclose any financial details. Any and all questions that pertain directly to the current CBA negotiations must be directed to the NHL or the NHLPA.” At Sports Corner, Jackson was more forthright. “T mean, they’re gonna wear them again next year,” he said of the dis- counted jerseys. “Might as well get a good price.” S ba Langara student aims for champ status At the top of her game, boxer Sarah Pucek has her sights set on next month’s championship prize fight By MICHAEL LETENDRE male Championship is on the line, and Fort Langley’s Sarah Pucek will be fighting for the title. Pucek (4-2-1) will be fighting Mon- treal’s Lucia Larcinese (6-9-0) for the championship at Fraserview Hall in Vancouver on December 9. This will be the first female National Canadian Championship to happen in B.C. Dave Allison has been Pucek’s train- er since she was 18 years old, and he has high praise for her abilities. “Sarah is, personally, pound-for- pound, the best fighter in Canada,” he said. “She’s about as complete a boxer as you will see.” Allison said Pucek has power in both her hands and that while she likes to use her left hook, “her money punch is her straight right hand.” What sets Pucek apart is that she is able to adapt her style on the fly to any given situation, a rare gift in boxers, said Allison. Her opponent, Lucia Larcinese, is an T: Canadian Featherweight Fe- Ranked 15th on the planet, featherweight boxer and Langara student Sarah Pucek steps into the ring on December 9th to fight for the Canadian championship. experienced fighter out of Quebec. A province, Allison said, which has pro- duced some of the best fighters in Can- ada. He said he expects Pucek to win the bout, and that it will come down to her “conditioning, and her ability to land heavy punches in the second half of the fight.” Pucek, is ranked fifteenth in the r4 4 world feather- weight class by the Sarah is, World Boxing Council. personally, She will be com- pound-for- ing off two straight losses, while Larci- Dp ound, nese fought and the best won her last match p. in May. fig hter The champion. jn Canada” ship fight is sched- uled for ten DAVE ALLISON rounds, and Alli- son expects the fight to go the distance. The 126 pound featherweight class “is the hot division in women’s boxing,” said Allison, and features the best fight performances at the moment. It’s also the most relatable to women because it appeals to their average size and weight. “That’s the division where the talent is deepest by far. There isn’t even a close second,” he said. Hockey chill hasn't ruined sports betting odds: BCLC Lottery corporation likes its chances as betters take their game online and beat the lockout blues By JENNIFER THUNCHER surprisingly hot. The amount of people betting this year is up five per cent over last year despite the lockout, according to the province’s lottery corporation. “During the stoppage last time [2004 — 2005 NHL lockout] there was a de- cline, but people had nothing else to go to,” said B.C. Lottery Corporation spokesman Chris Fairclough. Fairclough said that comparing the two lockouts is not “apples to apples” because with this year’s lockout, the company offers an online option, which allows customers to bet on anything from ping pong to skiing. He said that betting on hockey ac- counted for 30 per cent of revenue last fiscal year, but the new online options have more than made up for the losses in hockey bets. Charles, who couldn’t give his last name because of company rules, works at a Lotto 6/49 kiosk at Oakridge Cen- tre. He says Sports Action tickets for basketball, football and soccer are big sellers. He hasn’t seen a decline in sales at all without hockey. “There are so many games to bet on,” said Charles. He says he sometimes sees big sports betters, but mostly he sells to regulars like customer Adrian Michelle. Michelle, looking through a stack of sports tickets he had just bought from Charles, said he never bet on hockey in the first place. “Hockey is difficult to bet on. Never know who is going to win,” said Mi- chelle. He often bets on the NFL’s New Eng- land Patriots. Michelle said he enjoys the routine of betting. He bets during the week and said, “Sunday I sit down to watch foot- ball, give my legs a break. Get fat on Monday.” Not everyone likes to play the odds, however. Having coffee at City Square mall, Doug Frankson doesn’t buy lot- tery tickets. “Because you never win. It is just a form of taxes,” said Frankson. H ockey’s on ice but sports betting is Someone at Oakridge Mall was feeling lucky at the BCLC’s booth. Popular games include the lotto corp’s SportsAction product.